A2A/MCP Web Automation Agent with Playwright - Live Demo

[vishalmysore]

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• This post follows the MCP community guidelines

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What I Built

I've developed a web automation agent that bridges multiple AI agent protocols (A2A and MCP) with Playwright's web automation capabilities. The agent can:

• Execute web automation tasks using natural language commands
• Capture screenshots and extract text from web pages
• Work seamlessly with both A2A and MCP protocols
• Process requests via JSON-RPC API

You can try it out here: https://vishalmysore-a2apw.hf.space/
Agent card: https://vishalmysore-a2apw.hf.space/.well-known/agent.json

How I Built It

Tech Stack

• Backend: Java Spring Framework for robust server implementation
• Web Automation: Playwright for reliable browser control
• Protocol Support: a2ajava framework for A2A/MCP integration
• API: JSON-RPC for standardized communication
• Deployment: Docker for containerization and HuggingFace Spaces for hosting

Key Components

1. Protocol Handlers

   • Implemented A2A protocol specifications
   • Integrated MCP support using a2ajava
   • Built standardized message formats

2. Web Automation Engine

   • Playwright integration for browser control
   • Screenshot and text extraction capabilities
   • Cross-browser support

3. Natural Language Processing

   • Command parsing and interpretation
   • Context-aware action execution
   • Error handling and recovery

Challenges I Faced

1. Protocol Integration

   • Challenge: Making A2A and MCP work together seamlessly
   • Solution: Created abstraction layers for protocol-agnostic operation
   • Learning: Importance of well-designed interfaces

2. Browser Automation Reliability

   • Challenge: Handling dynamic web content and loading states
   • Solution: Implemented robust waiting mechanisms and retry logic
   • Learning: Web automation requires careful timing and error handling

3. Security Concerns

   • Challenge: Preventing malicious URL access
   • Solution: Implemented URL safety checks and validation
   • Learning: Security should be a primary consideration, not an afterthought

4. Performance Optimization

   • Challenge: Managing browser resources efficiently
   • Solution: Implemented browser recycling and parallel execution
   • Learning: Resource management is crucial for web automation

What I Learned

1. Protocol Design

   • The importance of standardized communication protocols
   • How to design for protocol extensibility
   • Benefits of protocol-agnostic architecture

2. Web Automation Best Practices

   • Reliable selector strategies
   • Performance optimization techniques
   • Error recovery patterns

3. System Architecture

   • Importance of modular design
   • Benefits of dependency injection
   • Value of clear separation of concerns

Tips for Others

1. Starting Out

   • Begin with a single protocol (A2A or MCP) and expand later
   • Start with basic web automation tasks before adding complexity
   • Use existing frameworks rather than building from scratch

2. Development Process

   • Implement comprehensive error handling early
   • Use Docker for consistent development environments
   • Write tests for critical automation paths

3. Architecture Decisions

   • Keep protocol handling separate from business logic
   • Use dependency injection for better testability
   • Plan for extensibility from the start

4. Performance & Reliability

   • Implement proper resource cleanup
   • Use connection pooling for better performance
   • Add monitoring and logging early

Example Usage

Text Extraction

curl -X POST \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
        "name": "browseWebAndReturnText",
        "arguments": {
            "provideAllValuesInPlainEnglish": "Go to Google.com, search for \"a2ajava\"give me result"
        }
    },
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": 17
}' \
http://localhost:7860

Screenshot Capture

curl -X POST \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
        "name": "browseWebAndReturnImage",
        "arguments": {
            "provideAllValuesInPlainEnglish": "Navigate to https://dev.to and take a screenshot of the homepage"
        }
    },
    "id": 17
}' \
http://localhost:7860

Future Improvements

Based on my learnings, here are some areas I plan to enhance:

1. Reliability

   • Add more robust error recovery mechanisms
   • Implement circuit breakers for external services
   • Add comprehensive logging and monitoring

2. Performance

   • Optimize browser resource usage
   • Implement caching for frequently accessed pages
   • Add request queuing for better load handling

3. Features

   • Support for more complex web interactions
   • Enhanced natural language understanding
   • Better error reporting and diagnostics

Get Involved

The project is open source and welcomes contributions. Whether you're interested in improving web automation capabilities or protocol support, there's room for everyone to participate.

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Built with a2ajava - Swiss Army Knife for building AI agents

Relevant Links

https://github.com/vishalmysore/a2aPlaywright